welcome!

Read Part 1: "Why Aren't There Any Girl Theologians?" here.﻿Here’s why I would rather teach theology through life-on-life rather than off-the-shelf.And of course I think John Piper's writings are such a gift to the Church and I've greatly benefited from reading/listening to him and writers/speakers like him. I named my daughter after him, for crying out loud.

1) That’s how Jesus did it. Though he taught the 5,000 and spoke to crowds sometimes, the bulk of His ministry was through teaching the disciples. During the times of anchoring the boat and walking down the road and roasting fish is probably when the disciples learned from Him most.

2) It’s harder to fake.Public speakers might be able to get by with rattling off deep-sounding quotes and talking about something they hardly know about, but a mom (or a true life-on-life discipler) can't. I think you can test your comprehension of something by how well you can explain it to a child.

I learned this the hard way recently. Stephen was very curious as we watched the deacon set up communion before the weekly gathering, but even though I could mention scriptures on the topic and even compare Luther's vs Zwingli's views, I wouldn't have been able to answer many questions or share many stories about it. In my experience, communion is just not really a means of grace for me. But it was really important to Jesus so it should be valued by me as well! So, through trying to talk to a child about communion, I realized I should definitely deepen my theology in that area.

However, here's a more encouraging story. Our little family was eating near a lake that had a fountain in the middle. It wasn't a natural fountain, of course, but I figured then would still be a good time to explain what we mean when we sing "Come thou fount of every blessing" or "There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins." The concepts of Gods never-ending self-sufficiency and "all my springs are in You" from Psalm 87 are things I've thought a lot about. I have stories about this truth. I hold this theological concept dearly. Peter does too, and we were able to explain in simple terms to our son what we mean when we say Jesus is our source, the fountain of every blessing, the well from which we find life. That was one of the sweetest moments of explaining something to someone else ever, and I spoke mostly in one- or two-syllable words. What a gift from God!

3) Life-on-life tends to go unnoticed.God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6.) It's a lot easier to be humble when I'm not very well-known.

Last summer I posted an article for Christianity Today and it was shared on Facebook almost 5000 times. Pride was more of a struggle after seeing those kinds of numbers...until I realized that how the Lord is using me does't have anything to do with numbers. After even a couple days I was old news and I was just left wondering whether I actually helped anyone. I decided I probably don't want to do anything like that again; one conversation in my living room that nobody but the other woman and I might know about might be a great deal more life-changing than a somewhat-viral article I wrote...and the temptation to think more highly of myself than I ought wouldn't be nearly as present.I'm grateful for well-known teachers of scripture (I even mentioned some that really helped me), but I no longer covet their lifestyle or look to them primarily for helping me understand scripture.

4) Theologians on my shelf can't help my loved ones and the lost like I can.When my husband is struggling---be it with a bad mood or a deeper issue---he's not going to want me to throw a book at him. It's not enough to know where or who Peter should read. But already being well-versed in scriptures and knowing helpful explanations of the Bible from others? The value of that cannot be measured.Additionally, in every awesome conversation I've had with nonbelievers, I've pulled from what I've learned about God...and I wished I had been more prepared, too. Asking about someone's faith and being prepared to share how yours contrasts (and how it's better, because it is) is one of the most joyful and thrilling ways of having conversation with non-Christians. I've loved talking theology with Muslims, Mormons, and atheists. We don't need to try to keep it simple and rope them in with two diagnostic questions or four spiritual laws then bring them to church for the rest. I've heard Alvin Reid use the example of showing someone a screenshot from Lord of the Rings with Frodo at Mount Doom or sitting them down for the whole epic trilogy. They will most likely be much more interested in LOTR after the latter (and your affections for it will be further stirred as well...but I might be taking this illustration too far ;) )I thought that since we're not pursuing vocational ministry, the stuff I learned in Bible college or in my own studies wouldn't help me very much. But oh how wrong I was! And how much more do I need to study so I can serve my family with words fitly spoken!

In Conclusion Maybe one day (when I'm much older, wiser, and better educated) I will write my own systematic theology or something. Maybe one day I'll speak in conferences. I don't know. I often even question whether I'm really helping anyone by writing a blog.

Large-scale theologian-status isn't what I want anymore. I want to be like Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:8:So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 2:8, ESV)

Now I'm beginning to see the immense value of being a spiritual parent more than a guide.What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 is key:"For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me."

So what do I do with all this?

Humbly seek after God ever more! I want to be an excellent theologian (again, that's a relative term) for the sake of my family, my loved ones, my church, the world, and myself! And I want excellent theologians that I know (and that I don't know) to pour into me. May we press on to know Christ deeply and truly!﻿

Leave a Reply.

My name is Hope.

I'm 25, married to a former skater dude, and raising little people ages 5, 3, 1, and not-yet-born. I like lime green and sarsaparilla, and I wear my Crocs until they melt. (Florida problems.)Jesus is life.Read the About page for why I write on this blog.Feel free to contact me and let me know what's on your mind!